This was a super thriller, full of nasty unlikeable characters and I absolutely devoured it! CL Taylor is a really accomplished author I and just captures the human psyche so well! I really loved this book.

It’s Always the Husband by C.L. Taylor is a gripping, suspenseful read that delivers plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked. The story skillfully navigates tangled friendships, secrets, and betrayals, making it hard to put down. Taylor is excellent at building tension, and the plot unfolds at just the right pace, revealing dark surprises that left me genuinely intrigued.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the drama and the character dynamics, this wasn’t my absolute favorite by Taylor — some of her earlier works felt a touch stronger in terms of character development and atmosphere. Still, this is a solid thriller that I’d definitely recommend to fans of domestic suspense and psychological thrillers. It’s an addictive, twisty ride that proves once again why Taylor is such a reliable voice in this genre!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Jude strikes up a friendship with fellow parent Will. There is lots of chemistry between the two. Jude and Will's daughters are best friends, and Jude is the first to step in when Will is attacked. One of the school run mums tells Will he deserved that after what he'd done. Jude has no idea what is going on, but soon hears how Will's first wife died, and his next girlfriend is missing without a trace. Jude is determined to find the answers herself, and in doing so there's more secrets and lies uncovered from the coven of witches, that are the other school mums.

I adore everything this author writes, and this was absolutely brilliant!! The author nails how the school run and other parents can be, we have all experienced that dreaded clique of school parents. The writing flowed beautifully and the story was seamless. There was so much happening, and I couldn't wait to turn each page to find the answers to more questions. The characters were so well written, that we can all imagine these people in our daily lives. The whole book was completely enthralling, pure tension, entertaining, and all leading up to the explosive ending. 5 star!!

Well... wasn't this the book that kept on giving... And it kept me on my toes throughout too. But I get ahead of myself.
Single parent, newly divorced Jude has upped sticks and mover herself and her daughter Betsy to the small town of Lowbridge. The moved cos she thought it would be a better place to bring up Betsy, but she really wasn't prepared for the small town mentality, nor was she expecting a full on coven of school gate mothers. But she has an ally in Will who is single father to Betsy's best friend Millie.
But this friendship is not without its challenges as she soon finds out when the gossip surrounding Will hits her own ears. His wife having died in an accident and then his girlfriend went missing after an argument. But, if you thought that was all the secrets that the townsfolk were hiding you'd be so very very wrong... With so many secrets and lies and an extremely healthy dollop of dysfunctional behaviour, just sit back and enjoy the rollercoaster ride... I know I did...
Wow... the punches just kept on coming. As well as the whole Will being a potential bad guy thing, we also have a bitter and twisted point scoring ex-husband, and the aforementioned coven, headed up by Queen Bee Victoria all of whom have their own secrets. In fact there is so much going on that I have to applaud the for her ability to keep all the juggling balls in the air all the way through. Putting them down gently as their thread concludes, dropping not a one along the way.
And the characters are all well described, pretty much larger than life without becoming caricatures of themselves. There are a lot of them, main and supporting, but they are all easy to get to grips with - yes I did start a list initially but it wasn't long before I stopped referring to it.
Yes OK the final part does get a bit messy as everything is revealed and the whole truth finally exposed but it does ll get there eventually. Especially when you thing you have it all sorted and then the author does that! Not telling, but you'll know when you get there! Brilliant sting...
All in all, a worthy addition to an already well impressive back catalogue, roll on next time.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

C.L. Taylor is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for twisty thrillers, and It’s Always the Husband just cemented that. I’ve read a couple of her books before and really enjoyed them, so I was super excited to dive into this one and it didn’t disappoint.

The story centers around Jude, who’s just moved to Lowbridge with her daughter Betsy. Betsy quickly befriends Millie, the daughter of a local dad, Will. And naturally, things start to stir among the school mums when Jude and Will start getting a little too close. Gossip starts flying, and Jude is warned that Will’s first wife died and his girlfriend Robyn is missing- possibly dead. Jude doesn’t buy into the rumors at first, but of course, she starts digging… and that’s when things really start unraveling.

This book had me hooked from the start. I love how C.L. Taylor builds tension without dragging things out. There’s always something happening, always a new twist around the corner. Despite the large cast of characters and a lot of moving parts, it was easy to follow and kept me turning the pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and the UK publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this! CL Taylor books are so easy to read. I was immediately invested in the characters and was eating up the domestic thriller vibes.

If you love housewives behaving badly and so many potential culprits and strands to a story, you will enjoy this. It never felt like it took itself too seriously, which I enjoyed. It was just fun.

I was getting a bit confused at the end and was worried there was going to be unanswered questions, but it pulled it back at the very end. The very last page was amazing!

I always look forward to the next psychological thriller by C L Taylor and "It's always the Husband" doesn't disappoint.

Great characters and storyline. Glad my school runs weren't like this with these characters though. Various points of view from different characters pull the story together.

Very entertaining and addictive.

A big thanks to Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.

One of my favourite authors delivers again when a group of school parents question the rumours about a single dad's previous wife's death and then missing girlfriend. Jude knows she shouldn't get involved with him just to be safe but with both their daughters getting along, she can hardly stay away. I do like a solid domestic thriller and this one delivered on all fronts.

C L Taylor is one of my “ I can’t wait for her next book to come out” author.
I should have known better that this wasn’t going to be the usual “ the husband killed the wife “ type of read because this author isn’t as so obvious as this in her stories she makes the readers brain matter tick over constantly and in a good way.

So based around moms and dads at school gates, and gossipy people one woman fires up an affair with one of the dads but all the others are soon to inform her that his wife disappeared in suspicious circumstances police found no evidence it was him but that didn’t stop the rumours and accusations….so is SHE IN DANGER , or is this just unfounded gossip.


Knowing this author, it’s not going to be THAT simple to solve and it truly wasn’t. With friendships formed with women and who knows what and when throw in a potentially dead woman’s diary and you’re hooked until the last page, the last sentence the last page.

This is a book you read when all distraction fades into the background nothing will pull you away from reading this once you’ve stuck you’re nose into it I assure you, make sure this is on your wishlist to buy not long to wait Now

A really well written psychological thriller, with dual narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the many twists, turns and unreliable char ters.

It's Always the Husband by C.L. Taylor,

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I liked the premise and the tension between the characters kept me interested, but I found it hard to really connect with any of them. Some parts felt a little drawn out and I guessed a few of the twists before they happened. That said, the writing was solid and there were moments that genuinely pulled me in. Not my favorite, but not bad either-worth a read if you're into slow-burn psychological thrillers with messy relationships. I also really liked the chapters being short.
Thank you #NetGalley for this #ARC

There is nothing more dangerous than the gossip and rumours between a bunch of mums at the school gates and, new to the area, Jude wants to avoid that when she moves to the small town of Lowbridge but, when she is drawn to single dad Will, whose daughter Milly is best friend to her daughter Betsy, she soon discovers that is not going to happen because Will has a past that is the talk of the playground, one wife dead and his second one missing, the mums want to warn Jude to stay away from him, but they also want the truth and they are hoping she's going to find out what happened...

It's Always the Husband is the latest thriller by Taylor which is told from the perspectives of various characters and, as with all this authors books, it's a story that is compelling, suspenseful and intriguing. It has been a long time since I did the school run, but I still remember the cliques in the playground, those mums that ruled the roost and were always flanked by others desperate to be in with the 'in crowd' and the mums of Lowbridge are no different. Victoria is the one leading the pack here and the others hang off her every word, but they all have their troubles and many have secrets of their own, which eventually unravel and come to a head, with some distressing consequences for certain members of the group. This is a fast paced read with a seamless plot that kept me on the edge of my seat and second guessing throughout, culminating in an unexpected twist to the tale. Another great read from one of my go to authors whose stories never disappoint.

I'd like to thank Avon Books UK and Netgalley for inviting me to read this, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

First I want to thank Avon Books UK and Netgalley for this e-ARC.

I think I inhaled this book and somehow managed to finish it before the school run…. Which is fitting with the book 😂😂🙈. This was so fast paced that I just couldn’t put this down, I enjoyed the different povs. It definitely had me constantly guessing and theorising, it was great! I didn’t see the end coming either. I was shocked, sat there with my mouth wide open.

Loved it!

When newly divorced Jude arrives in the small town of Lowbridge, she is soon drawn to the enigmatic Will, father of her young daughter's best friend. But Will's devastating past holds questions that nobody knows the answer to - and after to tragedies tore his life apart in just a few short years, gossip and rumours abound what really happened to the women he loved. Because one dead wife is tragic, two starts to look like murder....

The story is told from multiple points of view. It follows the relationships of Jude and Will and several of the other mum's and their husbands. There were quite a few characters to keep track of. Ir's filled with secrets, lies, twists and plenty of playground drama. I wasn't sure who I could trust. But after I finished the book, I was left wanting to know more.

Published 5th June 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #CLTaylor for my ARC of #ItsAlwaysTheHusband in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS
-Jude, freshly divorced, moves to the small town of Lowbridge with her daughter.
-She quickly gets involved with Will, a charming single dad with a very messy past. His first wife died. Then his second wife died. Everyone’s got questions, and the gossip mill is running wild.
-Jude wants answers, but the truth might be more dangerous than she expected.
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MY THOUGHTS
-The chapters are super short, which makes it easy to fly through.
-There are a lot of characters and POVs to keep track of. Some were more interesting than others.
-The pacing kept me entertained, but nothing really wowed me.
-I didn’t feel super connected to anyone, and I didn’t care much about what happened by the end.
-The mystery is fine. Not super twisty.
-If the group of moms called themselves “the mamas” one more time, I was going to lose it.
-It’s not bad. Just…meh. A decent distraction, but not something I’ll remember in a month.
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TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️Fast-paced and easy to binge, but pretty forgettable. Good for a weekend read when you want something light and dramatic without needing to think too hard.
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Thanks: Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on June 6, 2025.

Rounded up from 3.5⭐️

This was a really intriguing read, right from the very beginning. The way the story unfolds is really gripping, especially in the first half. There's lots of little mysteries along the way that all ties together.

Really enjoyed the domestic thriller style and the school gate setting. The school mum clique was also interesting with lots of different secrets being spilled throughout the story.

It did keep me guessing and the plot twist at the end shocked me!!

I did find as there were so many characters and storylines, the second half felt a bit confusing at points. Some of the motives felt a little rushed at the end.

But it was still a fast paced and easy thriller to get stuck into!!

This is a masterclass in suspense and I just couldn't put it down once I'd started.

A group of toxic 'school gate mums' have lots of secrets that are hidden behind closed doors...

Mind-blowing twists left me speechless, and I was left guessing until the reveal. But, as always, there's one final twist, and I loved it!!!

Cally's storytelling is pure perfection - I'm obsessed!

My thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘It’s Always the Husband’ written by C L Taylor in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Jude and her daughter Betsy are new to Lowbridge and she quickly forms a friendship with single dad Will while they’re waiting for their daughters at the school gates. Their warmth with each other is noticed by the other mums who warn her against getting too close to Will as he was a suspect after his first wife Ali accidently died at their house after which his girlfriend Robyn mysteriously disappeared. Jude likes Will and is determined to uncover the truth about him.

‘It’s Always the Husband’ isn’t what I’d call a thriller but more a domestic mystery where secrets and lies come to the fore. The plot through slow-paced at times keeps me involved as it tells of Jude’s intention to learn the truth about Will and joins the other mums led by Victoria who temporarily stops her backstabbing, and they work together to discover who’s the blackmailer. As the story progresses the tension gradually increases with plenty of drama and twists and turns until I reached the final pages taking place in a charity shop that made me stop and think that maybe it is always the husband!

This was definitely a tense and twisty read that intensifies as Jude begins to uncover the truth and discovers there are so many secrets all round her.

Another book that had me hooked from the beginning! Multiple POVs, fast paced and so many different things going on you haven’t a clue who’s done what! The main mystery in this book is Will’s partner Robyn’s disappearance and the clique of school mums all believe he killed her…all because his first wife died! The clique of school mums are the FMC Jude worst nightmare but after becoming friends with Will, she wants to find out what’s happened to Robyn. So many secrets come out throughout this book and the character development is so important! The ending was excellent and it kinda gave me shivers! Another excellent book by this author that I would recommend!